Glossary → Print-in-place
Print-in-place
Definition
Print-in-place is a design technique where moving parts such as a hinge or chain are printed together in one go, already assembled and movable, with no assembly afterwards.
The trick is a small, deliberately left clearance between the parts. It saves assembly work and makes complex mechanisms possible in a single print — one of the things 3D printing excels at versus traditional manufacturing.
Related terms
- 3D printing (FDM) — 3D printing is a manufacturing technique that builds an object layer by layer from a digital 3D model.
- Infill — Infill is the internal, usually partly hollow pattern inside a 3D print.
- Supports — Supports are temporary props a 3D printer prints under overhanging parts that would otherwise hang in mid-air.